BBC news 2011-10-24 加文本

BBC news 2011-10-24

BBC News with Iain Purdon

The new authorities in Libya have formally declared the liberation of the country at a ceremony in Benghazi outside the barracks where the uprising against Colonel Gaddafi began in February. The head of the NTC, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, thanked God for their victory before a massive celebratory crowd. From Benghazi, Jonathan Head.

They came in their thousands back to the place where it all started to celebrate in their customary fashion their extraordinary achievement. Then Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the former judge who now leads Libya, addressed the crowd, calling on them to show tolerance and to work for reconciliation. He also assured the many devout Muslims here that Islam would help to shape their new country. They chose Benghazi for this ceremony as a tribute to the role it played in igniting and sustaining the revolution. Now the spotlight moves away from here to Tripoli in the west, where the new government will now sit.

The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says a full investigation should be carried out into the death of Colonel Gaddafi. Speaking on American television, she said it was important that the new Libya begin with the rule of law. Meanwhile, there's still uncertainty over what the country's new leaders will do with Colonel Gaddafi's body. Some reports suggest that a high-level meeting will be held in Benghazi to weigh up the options. His body remains on display in a cold store in Misrata.

A huge turnout is being reported from Tunisia's election, the first free vote in the Arab world since the start of the spring uprisings. Some polling stations had to remain open after the official closing time to allow people still queuing to cast their votes. The poll was for an assembly to draft a new constitution. Pascale Harter reports from Tunis.

Well after dark, right up until the moment the polling stations closed their doors, Tunisians were still arriving to vote in the capital. Many left holding up an ink-stained finger as proof they'd done what they proudly called their democratic duty. Some smiled, but others cried after casting what was the first vote of their lifetime, one they could be confident would actually be counted. The European Union observer mission praised the huge effort involved in building a completely new election process from scratch.

Many people have been killed in an earthquake in eastern Turkey. The authorities are quoted as saying more than 70 people are confirmed dead, but they fear the figure could rise to hundreds. An International Red Crescent spokesman, Joe Lowry, says a large disaster appears to be unfolding.

"Turkish Red Crescent is mounting a massive relief operation. They've already got 1,000 tents, 5,000 blankets, food, stoves and water on the way there. I think that's coming from local stocks and more would be arriving from Ankara and Istanbul. But it does seem sort of a large earthquake in terms of magnitude and effect."

World News from the BBC

European Union leaders meeting in Brussels have conceded there's still much work to be done before a comprehensive deal can be reached on tackling the eurozone debt crisis. Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany insisted they would do everything possible to protect the euro. The French President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke of mind-boggling detail to be sorted out.

The Kenyan army has confirmed there's been an aerial bombardment of a military base belonging to the Islamist group al-Shabab. A week ago, Kenyan forces moved across the border, saying they would pursue militants accused of several recent kidnappings. Richard Hamilton reports.

A Kenyan military spokesman, Major Emmanuel Chirchir, told the BBC that the target had been hit but would not confirm whether Kenyan planes or those of other allied forces had carried out the raid. He said the base was in an area called Congo, on the outskirts of the port of Kismayo. When the Kenyan army began its incursion into Somalia a week ago, it highlighted Kismayo as a key target. Al-Shabab fighters have withdrawn from their bases in the capital Mogadishu but resorted to guerrilla warfare as evidenced by an attack on a convoy of African Union troops in the city earlier on Sunday.

First results from Switzerland's general election suggest reduced support for a party which campaigns against immigration. Projections give the Swiss People's Party 2% less than the previous election four years ago with the loss of several seats. The party remains the largest in parliament, but a BBC correspondent in Bern says its demands for strict immigration limits look likely to be shelved for now. The party appears to have lost out to a breakaway centre-right grouping and a new Green party.

The Italian motorcyclist Marco Simoncelli has been killed in a crash at the Malaysian MotoGP. He died from injuries sustained in a collision four minutes into the race. Simoncelli's bike veered across the track into the path of Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi. They both escaped serious injury.

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